The current U.S. Supreme Court term features several cases attempting to use the First Amendment to attack fundamental civil rights such as women’s health (NIFLA v. Becerra), workers’ rights (Janus v. AFSCME), and LGBTQ rights (Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission). This is not a coincidence; it is part of concerted strategy meticulously executed by a web of right-wing, dark money organizations. The same dark money groups influence the Court’s analysis of cases through strategic litigation and amicus briefs, fund the elections of Republican attorneys general, and spend millions to appoint ideological judges on the federal courts.
Please join the Center for American Progress as we explore the influence that dark money groups have on the federal courts and the cases before the Supreme Court, and what we can do to fight it.
Introductory remarks:
Ben Olinsky, Senior Vice President, Policy and Strategy, Center for American Progress
Featured panelists:
Billy Corriher, Senior Researcher, Facing South, Institute for Southern Studies
Kaylie Hanson Long, National Communications Director, NARAL Pro-Choice America
Sarah Posner, Reporting Fellow, the Investigative Fund at the Nation Institute
Mark Joseph Stern, Courts Reporter, Slate
Moderated by:
Michele Jawando, Vice President, Legal Progress, Center for American Progress
Closing remarks:
Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI)